The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Buildings Alone Do Not Constitute Regeneration
The "Bilbao Effect" is the apotheosis of the notion that a struggling post industrial city can be regenerated through set-piece art and design. But Frank Gehry, the architect of the Guggenheim, suspects the gallery was only part of a larger gestalt.
Urban Activism 101
Alison Arieff talks with Jason Roberts Go Oak Cliff, a neighborhood advocacy group in Austin, Texas, about his techniques for advocating for better neighborhoods.
To Save a Glacier, Paint it White
Peruvians are painting mountains in the Andes white to try to slow down the melting of glaciers.
The Growth of Municipal Debt
Municipal debt is on the rise, as state and local borrowing has grown to nearly one-quarter of the U.S. GDP.
Study Shows Mixed Use Reduces Car Travel More Than Density
<em>Smart Planet</em> talks with transportation researcher Reid Ewing about a new study he co-authored about how different development patterns can reduce auto use.
Reversing California's Sprawl with SB 375 and TOD
A new report from the Urban Land Institute finds that California's VMT-focused Senate Bill 375 can potentially reverse the state's sprawl. Transit-oriented development is seen as a strong strategy.
BLOG POST
Don't Let Time Dilute Outrage Over BP Gulf Spill
<div> <div> <p> Just because our media-ravenous culture inundates us with more news than we can stomach doesn't mean we should give up on the long term prospects of the BP catastrophe. As the poorly secured well beneath the exploded BP rig <em>Deepwater Horizon</em> continues its high-pressure torrent of not-yet-quantified-but-something-in-the-order-of-tens-to-hundreds-of-thousand-of-gallons-per-day of oil into the gorgeous waters of the Gulf of Mexico, we must not let the drone of time allow us lose sight of the result of horrendous and unforgivable destruction, weak industrial controls, and even weaker environmental morals. We must also not ignore that efforts to “contain” the spill were devised simultaneously with an effort to spare the well. </p>
Mortgage Headache Spawns Legislation in California
Mortgage debt is crippling the housing market all over the country, and the homeowners who've taken on more debt than they can afford. Now, real estate interests and banking interests are battling over legislation intended to ease the pain.
BLOG POST
What a bus rider wants
<p style="text-indent: 0.25in; line-height: 200%" class="ecxMsoNormal"> <span>As I began to type this, I was on a Greyhound bus somewhere in southern Ontario, on the first leg of my return from Toronto (where I have spent the past year getting an extra degree) to the United States. <span> </span>As I type, it occurs to me to ask myself: what are the interests of the long-distance bus rider?<span> </span>Are they the same as users of other forms of public transit, or closer to those of drivers and truckers?<span> </span>My short answer to these questions is: a little of both.</span> </p>
Layoffs Hurt Planning Efforts in California
Cities in California's Central Valley are looking at the economic downturn as an opportunity for planners to focus on long-range work. But layoffs in planning departments are making that hard to do.
Behind the Design of the Brooklyn Bridge Park
The new Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York is opening bit by bit. <em>Places</em> talks with Matthew Urbanski, one of the principal designers behind the park about its design and impact.
Chicago to Join the Ranks of Bike-Sharing Cities
A pilot bike-sharing program will debut this summer in downtown Chicago.
A Plan for A Carbon-Neutral UK
<em>Worldchanging</em> takes a look at a new report that plots out a plan to create a carbon-neutral United Kingdom by 2030.
Some Say Tysons Urban Village Idea Not Good Enough
A new plan up for approval today in Fairfax County, Virginia to turn the suburban office park of Tysons Corner into an urban village is a good idea gone bad, according to the chairman of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce.
Radar Uncovers Ancient Egyptian City
Radar imaging has revealed the layout of a now-underground ancient Egyptian city named Avaris.
The Social Supermarket
A new Safeway in Washington, D.C. is breaking the mold in grocery design by tucking the parking away behind the entrance and putting the market upstairs in a 2-story building, with smaller shops for lease on the street.
The Secret to Strong Neighborhoods
According to Robert Weissbourd, the secret is "positive mobility"; that is, the ability to be in constant motion, turning over with people and businesses coming and going.
Eco-Development Gets Green Light in Hangzhou
Architecture firm Woods/Bagot has been contracted to perform a "super green" makeover on the XiXi Wetlands in Hangzhou, China.
Planning in Second Life
Planners in Acton, Massachusetts used Second Life as a pr and outreach tool to engage citizens in planning a key commercial area.
New Consensus in Detroit Behind Shrinking
The mayor, non-profits and a growing section of Detroit residents are getting behind the idea of making Detroit smaller by demolishing buildings and cutting off dead sections of the city.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
